Tile positioning device

ABSTRACT

A tile positioning device comprising: a base having a top surface for receiving an underside of a tile and a bottom surface for being positioned on an underlying surface; an upwardly extending stem that is breakably or frangibly attached to the base, the stem including an upper portion for receiving an impact to break away the stem from the base and a lower portion for breakable attachment to the base wherein an opening is provided in the lower portion of the stem for receiving a wedge and wherein the lower portion of the stem further comprises: a connecting portion for connecting the stem with the top surface of the base; and a bridging portion extending between the connecting portion and the upper portion; wherein thickness of the connecting portion is less than thickness of the bridging portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Australian Application No.2018903124, filed Aug. 24, 2018, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tile positioning device. Inparticular, the present invention relates to a device for levelling andspacing tiles during installation. However, it will be appreciated thatthe device may be applied to other applications

BACKGROUND

Any references to methods, apparatus or documents of the prior art arenot to be taken as constituting any evidence or admission that theyformed, or form part of the common general knowledge.

When laying tiles, or similar panels on an underlying surface, it isimportant that the tiles are laid evenly by providing sufficient spacebetween adjacent tiles to allow the tiles to expand or contract onaccount of thermal or moisture changes. It is also important for thetiles to be level relative to each other to provide an aestheticallypleasing appearance.

Various methods of spacing and levelling tiles are available. Some ofthe known levelling systems utilise a base portion which is placed undertwo adjacent tiles during laying. The base portion is connected to astem which extends between the two adjacent tiles. A hole is formed inthe stem and the hole is located above the tile upper surfaces. A wedgeis driven into the hole by force before the tile adhesive has set topull the upper edges of the tiles into alignment. At a later period oftime after the tile adhesive has set, the stem is snapped off by forceusing a mallet, kicking or by other such impact while the wedge ispositioned in place. One of the shortcoming of the prior art systems isthat after the snapping of the stem has occurred, a stump of the stemstill projects into the space between the adjacent tiles. It is oftendifficult to remove the remaining stump. The removal of the stump can betime consuming. Whilst in some instances, the stump may not be visible(particularly when thicker tiles are used) after grouting, it isbelieved by the inventors that the presence of the stump may inhibitthermal expansion of the tiles due to temperature changes, resulting indamage to the tiles over time.

In view of the above, it is desirable to provide a tile positioningdevice that addresses some of the shortcomings of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In an aspect, the invention provides a tile positioning devicecomprising: a base having a top surface for receiving an underside of atile and a bottom surface for being positioned on an underlying surface;

an upwardly extending stem that is breakably or frangibly attached tothe base, the stem including an upper portion for receiving an impact tobreak away the stem from the base and a lower portion for breakableattachment to the base wherein an opening is provided in the lowerportion of the stem for receiving a wedge and wherein the lower portionof the stem further comprises: a connecting portion for connecting thestem with the top surface of the base; and a bridging portion extendingbetween the connecting portion and the upper portion; wherein thicknessof the connecting portion is less than thickness of the bridgingportion.

In an embodiment, length of the connecting portion is less than thelength of bridging portion.

In an embodiment, height of the connecting portion is substantially lessthan height of the bridging portion.

In an embodiment, the tile positioning device comprises at least two ofsaid lower portions being spaced apart to provide the opening below theupper portion.

In an embodiment, each of the bridging portions includes opposed edgesextending along a length of the bridging portion and wherein theconnecting portion extends downwardly and inwardly relative to theopposed edges of the bridging portion to breakably attach to the topsurface of the base.

In an embodiment, the upper portion has a thickness that is greater thanthickness of the bridging portion in the lower portions of the stem.

In an embodiment, the connecting portion comprises a taperedconfiguration.

In an embodiment, thickness of the connecting portion decreasesgradually in a downward direction towards the base.

In an embodiment, the bridging portion comprises one or more roundededge portions extending from one or both of said opposed edges of thebridging portions towards the adjacently located connecting portion.

In an embodiment, the upper portion comprises a recessed channelextending along a length of the upper portion.

In an embodiment, height of the upper portion is greater than or equalto height of the bridging portion.

In an embodiment, the top surface of the base extends in between the twolower portions of the stem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may bediscerned from the following Detailed Description which providessufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform theinvention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limitingthe scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. TheDetailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings asfollows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tile positioning device 100 inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is side view of the tile positioning device 100.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view (along Y-Y-shown in FIG. 2) of the tilepositioning device 100.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of inset C shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of inset B shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate a tile positioning device 100 in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. The device 100 assists in bothlevelling and spacing tiles during laying. It will be appreciated thatthe device 100 may be used during the installation of other panels suchas masonry panels, floor boards or other cladding panels.

The tile positioning device 100 also includes an upwardly extending stem120 that is frangibly attached to the base 110. The stem 120 includes anupper portion 122 that provides a webbed body to receive an impact whichassists with breaking the stem 120 from the base 110 (as will beexplained in detail in the foregoing sections). The stem 120 includestwo spaced apart lower portions 124 that define an opening 130 forreceiving a wedge during tile installation. The opening 130 and a wedge(not shown) are sized to accommodate tiles of differing thicknesses.During installation of tile, the stems 120 project between the adjacentsurfaces of two adjacently positioned tiles. Each of the respectivelower portions 124 of the stem 120 comprises a narrow connecting portion126 for breakably attaching the stem onto the top surface 112 of thebase 110 and a bridging portion 127 extending between the connectingportion 126 and the upper portion 122 of the stem 120.

The relatively narrower connecting portion 126 and the adjacent bridgingportion 128 are dimensioned to allow the stem 120 to snap away from thebase 110 at or adjacent the top surface 112. Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5,the thickness (T_(C)—See FIG. 5) of the connecting portion 126 isrelatively less than the thickness of the bridging portion 128(T_(B)—See FIG. 3). The difference in thickness between the bridgingportion 128 and the connecting portion 126 allows the stem 120 to besnapped away from the base 110 along the connecting portion 126 easilyby providing a preferred point of tearing or breakage when a force isapplied on the webbed body of the upper portion 122 and reduces thepossibility of the stem breaking at other vertical positions along theheight of the bridging portion 128. Advantageously, the connectingportion 126 is provided with a tapered thickness (T_(C)—See FIG. 5) thatgradually decreases in a downward direction towards the top surface 112of the base 110.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, height (H_(C)—See FIG. 4) for the connectingportion 126 is substantially lesser than height (H_(B)—See FIG. 2) forthe bridging portion 124. The considerably lower height for therelatively narrower connecting portion 126 is an important feature ofthe present embodiment in that it ensures that the break point (once aforce is exerted on the upper portion 122 of the stem 120) is relativelyclose to the to the top surface 112 of the base 110. As a result, oncethe stem 120 has been snapped off, the maximum possible height of theremaining stump does not exceed the height of the connecting portion(H_(C)—See FIG. 4) which provides a significant improvement over some ofthe currently known tile positioning systems.

Each of the bridging portions 128 includes opposed edges 129 extendingalong a length of the bridging portion 128. The connecting portion 126extends downwardly and inwardly relative to the opposed edges 129 of thebridging portion to breakably attach to the top surface 112 of the base110. Each bridging portion 128 also comprises two rounded edge portions125 extending from both of said opposed edges 129 of the bridgingportions 128 towards the adjacently located connecting portion 126. Onceagain, the provision of the rounded edges 125 in combination with thenarrower connecting portion 126 is useful for further assisting withensuring that the stem 120 snaps off at the connecting portion 126.

Advantageously, thickness T_(U) of the webbed body of the upper portion122 of the stem 120 is greater than the thickness (T_(B)) of thebridging portion 128. providing a thickened upper portion 122 relativeto the bridging portion 128 in combination with the relatively narrowerconnecting portion 126 results in the upper portion 122 having greatermass that in turn allows the stem 120 to receive a greater impact whenan impacting force is received on the upper portion 122.

As shown in the FIGS. 1 to 3, the base 110 is rectangular in shape andthe stem 120 extends transversely (substantially at right angles) alongthe length of the rectangular base 110 approximately midway along thewidth of the rectangular base 110. Such a configuration in combinationwith the tapered configuration of the connecting portion preventsbuild-up of tile adhesive in the vicinity of the connecting portion 126.It has been found by the inventor that build-up of tiling adhesive canalso prevent the stem from breaking at the desired location (as close tothe base 110 as possible).

During use, adjacent tiles are positioned on either side of the stem 120such that respective undersides of the tiles are positioned upon the topsurface 112 of the base 110 with the stem extending in an upwardlydirection. A wedge is driven by impact, using a hammer or other suchimplement, and the impact force causes the edges of the two adjacenttiles to be pulled into alignment, such that the adjacent tiles areclamped between the underside of the wedge and the top surface 112 ofthe base portion 110. Once the tiles are set in the desired position,the tiles are generally left until the adhesive has cured. At thispoint, the stem 120 is removed by hitting the webbed body of the upperportion 122 with a hammer, boot or other such implement whilst the wedgeis in place. This causes the stem 120 to break along the connectingportion 126 which is below the top surface of the tiles. The spacesbetween the tiles may be grouted in the usual manner, and the baseportion 110 remains permanently affixed under the tiles, where it is notvisible. A small stump having a height of less than or equal to H_(C)(See FIG. 4) remains in between the adjacent tiles. However, asdiscussed earlier, the novel configuration of the lower portion 124 ofthe stem 120 reduces or prevents instances where the stem snaps off suchthat a stump with a considerable height is left behind to be manuallyremoved using a knife (a problem associated with some prior artlevelling systems).

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific to structural or methodical features. Theterm “comprises” and its variations, such as “comprising” and “comprisedof” is used throughout in an inclusive sense and not to the exclusion ofany additional features.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specificfeatures shown or described since the means herein described comprisespreferred forms of putting the invention into effect.

The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the proper scope of the appended claimsappropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tile levelling device comprising: a base having a top surface for receiving an underside of a tile and a bottom surface for being positioned on an underlying surface; an upwardly extending stem that is breakably or frangibly attached to the base, the stem including an upper portion for receiving an impact to break away the stem from the base and a lower portion for breakable attachment to the base wherein an opening is provided in the lower portion of the stem for receiving a wedge and wherein the lower portion of the stem further comprises: a connecting portion for connecting the stem with the top surface of the base; and a bridging portion extending between the connecting portion and the upper portion; wherein thickness of the connecting portion is less than thickness of the bridging portion.
 2. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein length of the connecting portion is less than the length of bridging portion.
 3. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein height of the connecting portion is substantially less than height of the connecting portion.
 4. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 3 comprising at least two of said lower portions being spaced apart to provide the opening below the upper portion.
 5. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 4 wherein each of the bridging portions includes opposed edges extending along a length of the bridging portion and wherein the connecting portion extends downwardly and inwardly relative to the opposed edges of the bridging portion to breakably attach to the top surface of the base.
 6. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the top surface of the base extends in between the two lower portions of the stem.
 7. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the upper portion has a thickness that is greater than thickness of the bridging portion in the lower portions of the stem.
 8. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the connecting portion comprises a tapered configuration.
 9. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein thickness of the connecting portion decreases gradually in a downward direction towards the base.
 10. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the bridging portion comprises one or more rounded edge portions extending from one or both of said opposed edges of the bridging portions towards the adjacently located connecting portion.
 11. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the upper portion comprises a recessed channel extending along a length of the upper portion.
 12. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein height of the upper portion is greater than or equal to height of the bridging portion.
 13. A tile levelling device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the top surface of the base extends in between the two lower portions of the stem. 